Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Young Geologist seeks to reawaken Guyana’s glass-manufacturing industry
Glassmaking in Guyana has long since been considered as a business of the past; but young geologist Sean J.J. Griffith, 22, is pioneering to reawaken the glass manufacturing industry within his country.
Griffith along with business partner Whitney Richards, 20, launched their construction and design company at Guyana’s Green Expo in October. The company, which goes under the name CTXOG (Clarity, Transparency and Originality Guaranteed) Designs, is seeking to make its name as the first business in Guyana to reintroduce glass-manufacturing services.
One of the many designs by CTXOG
Sean Griffith, geologist, entrepreneur, co-founder of CTXOG
While CTXOG only now provides construction and design services, they are currently working towards a target to offset expenses for the manufacturing of glass.
Griffith explained that while persons may think of them as quite young for such ideals, it is the younger demographic that are the key instigators of change. Griffith also commented on the large percentage of academics that are migrating, and the effects that it would have on the management of the country’s natural resources.
“Recently, the country has struck oil and has opened three large gold mines, two of which are currently operational… However, Guyana is faced with a challenge whereby foreign investors and companies come and make inroads towards achieving their dream and their country’s goal, while the brilliant locals just sit back and accept a basic wage until the companies deplete all that we inherited from our ancestors.”
Griffith explained that one of the goals that CTXOG hopes to realise in entering into the glass manufacturing industry is for more attention to be paid to local content.
One of the core tenets of local content is to build a workforce that is skilled, one that can generate sustainability and one that is growth inclusive. CTXOG hopes to galvanize a movement that will inspire the younger demographic of Guyana to act on their business ideas.
“We have all this sand; we have so many natural resources that once managed correctly can bear much fruit, for not only us but for our generations to come… what we make of our national patrimony relies heavily on what we do now, what we as young people do with our ideas, and how we translate those very ideas into reality…”
Guyana currently imports glass from a plethora of countries. Griffith explained that the company is hoping to start operations within ten years, when enough capital would have been gained to start the glass manufacturing aspect of the business. The young entrepreneur and geologist is hoping that once CTXOG begins to manufacture glass, Guyana would become one of the leading suppliers within the region.
Griffith explained that while the process is currently a tedious one, CTXO, in its beginning stages is showing much promise. The company’s design plan aims to integrate the manufacturing of industrial glass for construction purposes, by utilizing raw and recycled materials to create its own signature glass.
CTXOG currently provides construction services, on the home building and design scale, with a goal of doing much more than designs with conventional materials. The company also received grants from the Youth Innovation Project of Guyana (YIPOG) to assist in the funding of the project. The YIPOG is a flagship initiative, for the Department of Youth, funded by the Government of Guyana.
A glass factory once existed in the 1970s in Guyana, but operations were said to have flopped due to its close proximity to the airport, which purportedly affected the process of glass making.
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